Be Brave, It's a New World (Henceforward AU)
by SerapeWrensFolk
Summary: After the catastrophe at the ceremony, Ruby was held back from her expected graduation. Now, thanks to what Gambol took from her, she's just trying to graduate, period. Adorable White Rose which only the setting of Henceforward can provide. All credit goes to for the AU.


Be Brave, It's a New World

Summer was on its way to overtake Spring in Vale. The flowers had bloomed, the birds were singing, the rain had fallen little over a month before in April, and the heat was on a daily build. The last was especially bothersome to a certain Weiss Schnee, who was still having trouble controlling the dust infused into her body less than a year prior. More than once, she had been on the verge of overheating thanks to the energy propellant in her body choosing to express itself as fire type and, many a time, Weiss's former partner Ruby would find the heiress lying in a tub full of ice. The first time, Ruby had panicked for over five minutes, thinking someone had stolen her best friend's organs. The anxiety was mostly gone in any subsequent incidents.

As of this moment, though, dealing with the heat was the furthest thing from Weiss's mind. Today, she was wholly and completely focused on the younger woman lying back in the passenger seat of the white sedan she was driving. It was a very important day for Ruby Rose. They were driving to the exam for her huntress license; the same one Weiss had passed with flying colors, the year before. Even without her upgrade, Weiss had been a top notch fighter and was academically unmatched in her year. It had been a certainty she would pass.

Ruby's test, however, was far from any sort of promising. Her academics were fine. She was far from unintelligent and she had what she proclaimed "the best tutor ever" in the soon to be SDC CEO. Physically, it was an entirely different matter. _That Day, _the day that had changed everything, had changed team RWBY's former leader the most. She had lost her sister, lost her friend, and lost her health to that friend. Gambol had not pierced her vital organs, nor had it caused permanent paralysis despite going through her spine. Unfortunately, that was where the good news had ended. Her strength and reflexes were drastically reduced and her injury meant she ran the risk of even worse damage if she could not avoid the attacks sure to be thrown at her in combat situations. The irony that playing pacifist against Blake had cost her most of her fighting ability had not been lost on the girl. She had spent many a night reflecting on that poetic outcome as she stared at the ceiling and tried to get any sort of sleep. Such a severe alteration to her body meant she could not even use her beloved Crescent Rose in combat. She had been in the process of designing a lighter version, but so far Crescent Rose 2.0 was a ways off from completion. She had settled for a simple titanium sickle with no ranged form and a low caliber pistol for her last year at Beacon. It had not worked perfectly, but it was the best she could do until she perfected her energy blade design. This day would tell if it would be good enough to make her a huntress.

Weiss glanced at her partner as the young woman was leaned back in her seat, basking in the sunlight as they drove towards Beacon at a leisurely pace. "Are you sure you're feeling strong enough to do this?" the heiress asked, worry clearly taking hold.

"Yeah, I feel good," was the scarlet girl's simple response as she took a slow breath and let out a small sigh. "Better than yesterday, at least."

The ivory clad woman was not so easily persuaded, however. "Are you sure?" she questioned with just a bit more concern in her voice. "We could always call Ozpin, have him reschedule to a later date. I'm sure he'd unders-"

"Weiss, I'm fine," Ruby sat up and cut her best friend off without any anger in her words. "Can I just enjoy this feeling for a bit longer until we get there?"

Weiss quirked her eyebrow as she once more glanced at the only person she had left, "What feeling?"

The passenger in the red hood gave a gentle smile, then lay back again and closed her eyes, an almost dreamy expression settling on her face. Weiss had noticed how, after her accident, Ruby would have moments like these. Though she had never lost her childlike energy even in spite of the severe damage to her body, there were times where she would appear more calm and serene than Weiss would have ever thought she was capable of before _that day._ The beauty of these moments was enough to take the dust woman's breath away. "Possibility," she answered quietly, as though sharing a secret with the only other person in the car. "Right now, I feel like anything could happen. Like the entire world is still deciding what it should do. I'm not locked into any one future. It's so exciting."

The woman in white's eyes widened for a split second before she turned her gaze back to the road. She understood Ruby's request and she was more than willing to grant her this favor. The rest of the car ride was spent in silence.

When the two finally arrived at Beacon, they were greeted by a multitude of students perusing the campus. Though classes were cancelled today, there were still quite a few who chose observing the seniors' performance over the chance to sleep in or waste a little time in the city. As R and W made their way through the concrete pathways, a myriad of expressions greeted them. Some were positive, others sympathetic. Others still, were filled with nothing but disdain for the young women passing by. That was far from out of the ordinary to them. The incident had done a number to their respective public images. Yang's gambit had salvaged Weiss's career, but it had only furthered the destruction of Ruby's reputation as a leader. It had made her makeup year at Beacon interesting to say the least. Both of them were ignoring these looks, however, in favor of focusing on the easily recognizable posture of Miss Goodwitch, Beacon's second in command and long standing instructor.

The last few years had weighed heavily on Glynda. The rapid escalation of terrorist attacks, major drop in public opinion to the academy she had devoted herself to for so long, and, worst of all, the 'aura epidemic' affecting so many of her beloved students had given her a few more wrinkles than she had the first time Ruby met her on that rooftop five years ago. Still, she stood proud and professional, always willing to act as a guide for the new generation. As the pair of young women approached her, she greeted them with a gentle smile and collapsed the scroll in her hands. "Miss Rose, Miss Schnee. It's good to see you made it safely."

"Good morning, Ms. Goodwitch," they responded in unison.

Glynda's smile stayed as she turned to Ruby, "Your equipment is in your locker. You might want to go make sure it's all in proper working order."

The girl in the red hood nodded affirmatively and turned to the direction of the locker room, assuring her partner she would be right back.

Once the younger woman disappeared through the doorway, Goodwitch's smile left her as a small frown of worry took its place. "How was she, this weekend?" she asked Weiss quietly, not wanting to let the surrounding students in on their conversation.

Weiss let out a small sigh as she stared into the double doors leading to her friend, "She was all right. A few spasms yesterday, but, she's doing better all the time. I tried to convince her to reschedule, but she's dead set on getting this done, today."

The Beacon instructor straightened her glasses slightly, "That's good to hear." The two were silent for a few seconds before Glynda broke the spell once more, "Her chances aren't good. I assume you know that?"

"Yes, ma'am," Weiss answered. She had a small, sad smile on her face as she clasped her hands over her front, "But, you know Ruby. She set her mind to doing this and she won't turn back for anything. Always the stubborn one."

Glynda gave a wry chuckle as memories of her student's antics came to the front of her mind. Those were from happier times; times when she had to put on a strict face to hide her own amusement. Now, the mask of the strict teacher only concealed all the tears she had shed. "Whatever happens, I hope you two keep looking out for each other. The world has become too dangerous to be alone in."

Weiss nodded simply, "I know. Trust me, I'm not about to let her out of my sight. She may not be as strong as she used to be, but she's still causing just as much trouble."

Their conversation was ended there as Ruby Rose had returned holding a collapsed sickle in her left hand and a Five-seveN in her right. "All right, I'm combat ready!"

When Ruby was a child, she had been afraid. She had been afraid of the dark, and of death, and of losing those she loved like she had her mother. Despite this fear, though, she had always wanted to help others. Her heart was open to all who were hurting. So, she trained. Through the instruction of Qrow, her uncle and mentor, she had learned how conquering one's fears was the key to true power. As the red reaper's skills grew and body developed, she thought she had completely lost her fear of death. It was only on _that day _that she would realize how wrong she was. She had been run through by her ally's weapon in an attempt at understanding. That act had put her on threshold which separated the two worlds. She stayed there for what felt like an eternity, gazing into the abyss before her until she was pulled back into the realm of the living and greeted by the sight of a bland hospital ceiling. From that moment onward, the wilting Rose had lost all her fear. Death was a certainty; whether it be from old age, her new condition, or a single ill timed dodge in the heat of battle. She would probably welcome it when it came. The only thing that kept her fighting to survive was her heart. It still bled for those who were hurt and there was more still she could give to the world, she was certain. So, she would keep fighting for every scrap of life she had left. She owed the world that much.

That was why Ruby Rose had to pass this exam.

The academics had been easy. Gambol's blade could not rob the girl of her intellect. The physical had been... mixed. She was as fast as ever in terms of semblance, which saved her from failing the mobility course when she had to stop midway from a nearing muscle spasm. Her strength test had gone about as poorly as expected, though she attempted to push herself as far as she could to get it out of the automatic disqualification zone. Marksmanship had been passed solidly, as her dead shot accuracy stayed with her even if her slowed reflexes kept her from hitting the targets at an optimal speed.

Only one test remained and it would be the one to decide her fate. Ruby was kneeling in the center of the academy's training room. Surrounding her was a baker's dozen of mechanical beasts, all meant to resemble various Grimm. Ever since the incident from over a year ago, captured Grimm had proven too unpredictable and dangerous to use in testing scenarios. The majority was a pack of beowolves, eight strong. Next, a pair of ursai. The remaining three were synthetic reflections of a nevermore, deathstalker, and borbatusk. This was beast combat; the true purpose of a hunter. Ruby's objective was to eliminate every target as they bore down on her with no mercy. Her hands twitched; eager to draw her weapons at the sound of the starting buzzer. She slowed her breathing, quieting her mind and body to become the artist she was in battle. Excitement would lead to over-extension. Anxiety would lead to tensing up. She needed to be calm and fluid. Her eyes drifted shut as she conjured images meant to motivate her. The colors of yellow and black returning to her side. The cheers of safe people and laughter of happy children. The soothing white, so very much like snow, surrounding her in inexplicable warmth. The cloaked girl grinned. She was ready.

A mechanized voice sounded off over the speaker, "Round begins in five, four, three, two… one."

The moment the buzzer sounded, Ruby vanished into a cloud of scarlet right as the robotic boarbatusk charged her position. A moment later, she reappeared crouched on a beowolve's back, twirling her scythe from a quick decapitation before jumping to the next one and executing it with her Five-seveN. Both machines grew dim with deactivation and Ruby vanished again to avoid the avenging claws of their brothers. Next she flashed in just under the mid-sized nevermore, dragging her blade along its tail portion as a means of crippling its flight pattern. It seemed to be working as she flipped onto its back and rode its descent straight to the rapidly approaching ground. Ruby surveyed the area from the top of her appropriated mount, noting the ursai lurking right below her and the trio of beowolves rapidly approaching from the bird's rear.

The ursai pair lunged at her the moment the nevermore hit the ground. The scarlet reaper sidestepped them swiftly, parrying the nearest one's claws before drawing her pistol once again and unloading two shots at the hydraulics cable meant to represent the tendons on its hind legs. Ruby directed her muzzle to the trio barreling toward her, unloading the remaining seventeen rounds into the hoard. When the gun clicked empty, she released the magazine, kicking it out of its fall path and directly into the mouth of the non-crippled ursa. The black and red clip locked the jaws of the great beast and Ruby severed its left foreleg while it was distracted. As the synthetic monster stumbled back from its forced amputation, Ruby loaded in an extended clip and locked the slide back into place. _So far so good, _she thought to herself, happy with the fact she hadn't even gotten a scratch, yet.

Aware it was too early to celebrate, she turned to the biggest threat left it the room; the artificial deathstalker. It wasn't as massive as the one JNPR had slain during initiation, but it was still a serious danger to any singular hunter. The robo-scorpion charged at her, as though acknowledging her wordless challenge. In response, Ruby flashed forward, narrowly avoiding the stinger smashing down behind her and laying her gun point blank to its armored back. As quickly as she could, she began unloading her weapon on one particular spot on the thick plating. She knew her bullets could not pierced such resilient armor on its own, but perhaps they could sufficiently weaken a small section of it in preparation for a final blow. The deathstalker was running rampant at that point, doing anything it could to shake off the girl. However, Ruby kept her balance and focused on the single task. Unfortunately, as she raised her blade for the killing strike, she too late realized the boarbatusk rolling straight for her. Jumping back immediately, she still could not avoid being clipped by the beast's tusks and was sent flying, her scythe torn from her grasp and sent out on reach.

When the girl in the red hood regained her footing, she looked up to see all the active assailants staring directly at her, focus undivided. "Not good, not good," Ruby repeated under her breath as she finally felt the beginnings of fatigue assaulting her body. Her free hand drew back under her cloak, only to reappear with another magazine. This one was different, however. Instead of the black and red she had been wielding so far, this was shining, pure silver. It had been a good luck present from Weiss, a blatant attempt at stacking the deck a little more in Ruby's favor for the test. The rounds were all a special blend of dust designed to rapidly absorb and compress any air in its path before exploding on impact with anything solid. She only had thirty at her disposal. She needed to make them count. The magazine slipped smoothly into the matte black handgun, giving it the appearance of something both light and dark. With the loaded pistol in her right hand, Ruby clasped the silver cross hanging around her neck in her left. Her mind cleared once again, the girl pulled up her hood and flashed forward.

The next few moments were best described as hell in Remnant. Ruby's semblance was kicked into overdrive as she sped through the room, unloading on every target which dared try and attack her. The dust rounds were tearing apart everything in sight. It almost felt like getting to use Crescent Rose, again. For this brief point in time, Ruby forgot her frailty. Forgot how she had been broken and how she could never perform her art the same way again. She was a warrior, once more; staking everything on one last blitz. By the time her gun went dry, only three monsters were left active. A three legged ursa, a battered beowolf, and the flightless nevermore. With ammunition no longer a luxury she had access to, Ruby looked across the arena to see her scythe lying on the ground right next to the nevermore. Flashing over, she kicked it up and caught it in a firm grip, pivoting just in time to decapitate to attacking avian. She was almost there. She just had to fight a little longer.

Ruby's two remaining foes charged her at once, the beowolf closing the gap quickly due to its intact limbs. She lifted her blade to parry its advancing claws, but as she moved to make a counter attack she realized what had just happened. Her muscles seized up, robbing her of the attack that would have brought her one step closer to victory. Before she could recover, the ursa had finally caught up, bashing into her with its whole body before smacking her away with its paw.

Barely fighting back unconsciousness, the young woman tried with all her willpower to take hold of the weapon that had been knocked from her grasp yet again. The beasts slowly advanced to her, stalking out their prey for any more tricks. Just as she gained a weak hold on the shaft, another buzzer sounded off.

"Subject's aura level has dipped to critical levels. Simulation aborted."

And that was it. The remaining beasts powered down as additional lighting fired up to fully illuminate the arena. Ruby forced herself to try and stand on her own, knowing the first person through that door would try and help her. She didn't want that. She wanted to preserve what little dignity she had left. Unfortunately, her body had other plans. Any attempts to get back on her feet ended in her sprawled on the cold, hard floor. She closed her eyes when she heard the door open, trying not to focus on the familiar footfalls of her caretaker. "Ruby?!" the way Weiss called out to her hurt more than every hit she'd taken in the last fight. "How bad are you hurt? How does your back feel? I knew we shouldn't have done this today. We needed to wait," Weiss's sentence to sentence worrying kept running, so Ruby knew she needed to put on a brave face.

Swallowing for a second, the beaten girl put on a gentle smile, "I'm okay. I just slipped and got a little roughed up for it."

"A little roughed up?!" a scowl flashed past the heiress's features; she clearly ready to scold the younger woman for her recklessness. But she caught a glimpse of her partner's expression. That smile she knew was fake, the way she was still just laying on the ground, the waver in her voice she hadn't quite suppressed. Weiss forgot all her anger born of worry and instead could barely choke back her own turmoil at seeing her best friend the way she was. "Come on," she said softly, drawing Ruby's arm over her shoulders as gently as she could, "Let's get you stood up."

The hooded girl said nothing as she was hauled to her feet. She wanted to scream, to cry. Above all, she wanted to get up by herself. How had this happened? How had she become so weak? Had she even ever been truly strong to begin with? The weight of her despair was crushing her but she shut it in. A spineless failure of a leader had no right to bare her grief. She was certain of that.

Weiss kept her grip on Ruby and walked her to the door, not daring to risk her partner collapsing under her own weight. When they made it outside the doorway, Miss Goodwitch was there to greet them. She had a neutral expression locked as she leveled her gaze at the battered girl before her. "Miss Rose…"

The girl in red lightly shrugged off her friend's support and drew back her hood to reveal the fragile face that lay beneath it. "I know," she responded softly, "It's all right." She took a few shaky steps forward, to address the fourth person in the hallway. Clad in his dark green suit but lacking his usual coffee mug, Professor Ozpin had clearly come down from his office at some point to watch Ruby's exam. Considering how isolated to his office the wise eccentric had become in recent years, that said a lot about how vested her was in her performance. Ruby could only chew her lip in the presence of the man who had granted her that grand opportunity so long ago. The only time she had felt more ashamed was the moment she woke up in that hospital bed.

"I'm so sorry, sir."

The remainder of the day had been spent in near silence. Ruby was almost completely shut off from the rest of the world and Weiss had trouble getting more than two words out of her at any given time. Weiss hated when she saw her partner like this; so sad and worn. Years ago, the SDC's head thought nothing in reality could ever break Ruby's spirit. How wrong she had been.

Today, Weiss wanted nothing more to be exasperated and annoyed by some childish prank or insane antics; anything to let her know the fragile young woman sitting across from her at the dinner table was still that unbridled force of passion she had met all those years ago. She knew that wouldn't happen, though. The former prodigy had just staked everything and fought with all she could muster, only to have her dream thrown back into her face. The devastation was understandable. Still, the older woman would not dare leave her partner to suffer alone. That was why, though the apartment they shared had two designated bedrooms, Weiss chose to follow Ruby into her own.

For the two to share a bed had not been an unheard of situation. They had both become quite prone to nightly terrors and would often seek each other for comfort in the darkest of hours. More often than not, merely experiencing the other's presence was enough to chase away the nightmares. Weiss had no doubt tonight would be hard on Ruby, so she intended to stay by her and make sure nothing serious happened. The pair changed into their nightclothes, completed their hygienic rituals, and climbed into the modest queen bed. As the lights began to fade Weiss gave a last, hopeful smile directed at her dearest companion, circling her arms around the girl and drawing her in.

"Good night. I promise it'll be better tomorrow."

Ruby stayed silent for a few moments, before pulling the sleeping mask over the eyes Weiss knew she was trying to hide, "…Goodnight, Weiss…"

After some time, both young women had drifted off to sleep.

Hours later, Weiss was ejected from her slumber by a shift on the bed and the pained groan which accompanied it. Still dazed, the pale woman gave a small groan and blinked a few times in confusion. Looking over at her bedmate, her eyes were wide with fear at what she saw. Ruby was writhing in obvious pain, muscles spasming rapidly as she fought against the sheets like some unknown assailant. "Ruby!" Weiss called out in alarm, reaching out to her partner instinctively as she processed what she was looking at. This was bad. Ruby's body must have taken too much strain over the course of the day and now it was making up for lost time in the middle of the night. Her mask had shifted slightly in the commotion and, judging by the glazed over look in the exposed eye, she was not conscious. That would make things even more difficult. Weiss reached over her partner to grab the bottle of medication sitting on the nightstand for just this occurrence.

The unconscious young woman let out a small whine, waking slightly as Weiss carefully removed the mask from her face and brought the bottle of pills up to her mouth. "I need you to take this," Weiss was speaking shakier than usual, but did her best to emote a firm but gentle authority. As she brought a pill to her partner's lips, Ruby grimaced and kept her mouth shut. "Come on, Ruby. You have to. It'll make you feel better," the second attempt yielded no better results as the girl jerked suddenly, knocking the bottle from Weiss's hand and spilling pills all over the bedspread.

Weiss was beginning to panic, fearing the time being wasted would only bring more pain to the struggling girl in the long run. She had to keep trying. She picked up another pill from the sheets and brought it to Ruby's lips again. "I know you hate it," she cooed as she supported the girl's back with her other arm. "But, I need you to take it. I need you to be my brave girl. Please… Please…" Weiss was begging in what most would call an un-Schnee-like fashion. She did not care, though. All she wanted was for Ruby to take her medication.

The writhing continued, as did the heiress's begging. Eventually, Ruby relented and opened her mouth. Weiss gently placed the pill on the girls tongue and began massaging her throat to help her swallow. Once the pill went down, it was another few, agonizing minutes before the spasm finally subsided and Weiss pulled her into a hug. The heiress kept rubbing her partner's back in soft circles, utilizing her dust to add a small amount of heat and making sure to avoid the ever present scar along her spine. The writhing was replaced with shaking and Weiss could feel herself shatter as sobs began wracking through Ruby's body.

"Why?" was the only coherent word Weiss was able to pick up as she held her dear friend tightly, "I'm so useless. Can't become a huntress… C-can't protect my team… Why am I still here?! I thought I survived for a reason, b-but… I can't do anything! I should've just died there…"

Weiss couldn't take any more of what she was hearing as she pushed Ruby back enough to be able to stare into her eyes with all the passion she could muster, "Stop talking like that, you idiot! You're alive because if you were dead this world wouldn't be worth saving!" Tears were beginning to stream down her face like miniature waterfalls. She probably looked like a mess, but she did not care in the slightest, "I-if you had died, there would be nothing left for me! I would've been all alone and I… I…" her ability to form complete sentences was beginning to fail her as the idea of losing Ruby took root in her mind, "Please," she whimpered so quietly her partner could barely pick it up, "Don't go. I don't want you to."

Ruby's sobbing had all but ceased when she realized the despair on her companion's face. She reached forward to cup Weiss's cheek with a shaking hand, still weak from her previous episode. How she wanted to be strong for her partner. She often fantasized about having the strength to protect her, aid her, take her in the girl's arms and steal her away from the rest of the world. Perhaps, in another life, she did. Now, however, what could she do? "Weiss…" Feeling the boldness of needing to prove something, anything, she used what little strength she had to move forward, clumsily crashing their lips together in a gesture she had craved like never before. She could feel Weiss returning her motions, but it only lasted for a few seconds before they had to break apart, Ruby already gasping for breath. Normally, this would have bothered her even further, but this time she had something to giggle at instead. "Your dust is showing," she snickered between breaths.

It was true. A few crystals had formed around the crown of the heiress's head, all of them a stunning scarlet matching both the cloak on Ruby's wall and the blush on Weiss's face. "Sh-shut up…" she mumbled as she snapped out of the daze she had been cast into. Ruby giggled a little longer, eventually getting the flustered Schnee to laugh with her. The pair went quiet after that, both completely exhausted but unable to fall back to sleep.

Finally, Weiss decided to speak up, "I'm sorry you didn't pass…" she saw the downtrodden look filling the girl's face and winced a little.

The frail girl was not really sure what to say. She was so disappointed at this loss of her dream, the one thing that had kept her drive over the year. She had no idea what she was supposed to do; now that path was taken from her. It was depressing, but… a little freeing at the same time. "What do I do, now?" she asked, unsure with how rhetorical the question was.

"I don't know," Weiss answered with complete honesty. "But, whatever it is, I'll be there with you. I'm not about to let you out of my sight," she punctuated this statement with a kiss to Ruby's nose. "Now, we should go back to sleep. I have the day off, tomorrow. We can do whatever we want."

As the heiress drew her partner back into her arms Ruby smiled. Maybe Weiss was right. There was still so much of life left open. She could find a way to repay the world for giving her a second chance.


End file.
